The Max Planck Foundation co-hosted the workshop in cooperation with the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office–Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and ASEAN.
On 29 September – 1 October 2025, the ASEAN-Germany Cooperation Project continued with a workshop on ‘Regional Cooperation and Ocean Governance’ for officials of ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Secretariat & Timor-Leste. This event focused on how the law of the sea, customary environmental law and ASEAN practices have shaped and implemented legal responsibilities surrounding ocean governance. The workshop was held with the generous support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
The three-day workshop, co-hosted by the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, provided participants of the workshop with insights on the duty to cooperate across fields, such as protection of the marine environment, maritime security, dispute settlement and navigational entitlements. Best practices, challenges, and hypothetical future action plans for Southeast Asia were explored by participants.
Opening remarks were provided by H E Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Philippines) and Deputy Assistant Secretary Rogelio E Villanueva (Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines). In addition to numerous sessions by the Foundation’s research fellows addressing multilateral cooperation in, for example, enclosed or semi-enclosed seas, or managing marine resources, the programme featured presentations by invited experts. First, Atty Fretti G Ganchoon (Department of Justice of the Philippines) addressed gender inclusivity and ocean governance, followed by Nolan Gara (GIZ) discussing the Blue Fair Fish Programme. Dr Vu Hai Dang (Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam) provided an exploration of cooperation in disputed maritime areas while Dr Gulardi Nurbintoro (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia) provided expertise on the archipelagic state regime and Indonesia’s implementation.
A highlight of the workshop made possible by the Department of Foreign Affairs and generous hosting of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was a visit to the National Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard, including a vessel tour aboard BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV 8301). The PCG delegation was led by Vice Admiral Edgar Ybañez, while a presentation on PCG’s multilateral engagements and cooperative efforts was delivered by Commodore Algier Ricafrente.
Finally, the workshop also included practical drafting exercises and a participants’ roundtable, providing opportunities for participants to apply the knowledge gained in the workshop to hypothetical action plans and to further discuss and exchange views and experiences in regional cooperation and the role of international organisations.
The Foundation looks forward to continuing cooperation with ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste and the academic community from Southeast Asia and beyond.